BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100143
Shin-ichi Nakakita , Jun Hirabayashi
{"title":"Transforming monosaccharides: Recent advances in rare sugar production and future exploration","authors":"Shin-ichi Nakakita , Jun Hirabayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rare sugars are defined as monosaccharides and their derivatives that do not exist in nature at all or that exist in extremely limited amounts despite being theoretically possible. At present, no comprehensive dogma has been presented regarding how and why these rare sugars have deviated from the naturally selected monosaccharides. In this minireview, we adopt a hypothesis on the origin and evolution of elementary hexoses, previously presented by one of the authors (Hirabayashi, Q Rev Biol, 1996, 71:365–380). In this scenario, monosaccharides, which constitute various kinds of glycans in nature, are assumed to have been generated by formose reactions on the prebiotic Earth (chemical evolution era). Among them, the most stable hexoses, <em>i.e</em>., fructose, glucose, and mannose remained accumulated. After the birth of life, the “chemical origin” saccharides thus survived were transformed into a variety of “<em>bricolage</em> products”, which include galactose and other recognition saccharides like fucose and sialic acid through the invention of diverse metabolic pathways (biological evolution era). The remaining monosaccharides that have deviated from this scenario are considered rare sugars. If we can produce rare sugars as we wish, it is expected that various more useful biomaterials will be created by using them as raw materials. Thanks to the pioneering research of the Izumori group in the 1990′s, and to a few other investigations by other groups, almost all monosaccharides including <span>l</span>-sugars can now be produced by combining both chemical and enzymatic approaches. After briefly giving an overview of the origin of elementary hexoses and the current state of the rare sugar production, we will look ahead to the next generation of monosaccharide research which also targets glycosides including disaccharides.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143170984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100139
Chengcheng Huang , Akinobu Honda , Tadashi Suzuki
{"title":"Free oligosaccharides in serum","authors":"Chengcheng Huang , Akinobu Honda , Tadashi Suzuki","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100139","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100139","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glycans are sugars/sugar chains that are usually linked to proteins or lipids. The attachment of glycans often results in alterations of physicochemical/physiological properties of the carrier molecules, e.g., glycosylation of proteins can modulate their fate, intracellular localization, or interaction with cells/other proteins. On the other hand, unconjugated N-glycans (free N-glycans; FNGs) have been identified in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. The processing pathway of intracellular FNGs has been clarified in recent years, but their biological functions remain unclear. Free oligosaccharides have also been identified in the sera of various animals. Structurally, these extracellular free glycans can be classified into three types: sialyl FNGs, oligomannose-type FNGs, and sialyl lactose/N-acetyllactosamine-type glycans. The extracellular FNGs show different structural features from intracellular FNGs, implying that their mechanism of formation is distinct. This mini-review summarizes current knowledge about the structures and formation mechanisms of free oligosaccharides in serum, and suggests their possible biological functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11786756/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143081378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2024-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2024.100129
Shunsuke Tomita , Chiaki Nagai-Okatani
{"title":"Expanding the recognition of monosaccharides and glycans: A comprehensive analytical approach using chemical-nose/tongue technology and a comparison to lectin microarrays","authors":"Shunsuke Tomita , Chiaki Nagai-Okatani","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2024.100129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2024.100129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chemical-nose/tongue technologies are emerging as promising analytical tools for glycan analysis. After briefly introducing the importance of glycans and their analytical methods, including the lectin microarray (LMA) as one of the gold standards, the fundamental principles underlying chemical noses/tongues are explained and various applications for monosaccharides and glycans are introduced. Then, the similarities and differences of these two approaches are discussed. While both technologies aim to comprehensively profile biospecimens based on ‘interaction patterns’ between multiple recognition probes and analytes, each has its own strengths. LMAs excel at specific, targeted analysis based on defined lectin–glycan interactions, whereas chemical nose/tongue offers greater flexibility and expandability in terms of system design, making it well-suited for discovering unknown glycan profiles and detecting broader differences in glycan mixtures. In the future, chemical-nose/tongue technologies may be applied to niche areas in glycan analysis and become powerful tools that complement LMA techniques.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100129"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11714387/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142956096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Loss or inhibition of lysosomal acid lipase in vitro leads to cholesteryl ester accumulation without affecting muscle formation or mitochondrial function","authors":"Alena Akhmetshina , Laszlo Schooltink , Melina Amor , Katharina B. Kuentzel , Silvia Rainer , Ananya Nandy , Hansjoerg Habisch , Tobias Madl , Elizabeth Rendina-Ruedy , Katharina Leithner , Nemanja Vujić , Dagmar Kratky","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2024.100135","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2024.100135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Skeletal muscle (SM) is essential for movement, stability, and overall body function, and it readily adapts to changes in energy demand. Myogenesis is energy-intensive and involves complex molecular and cellular events. We recently demonstrated that the absence of lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) <em>in vivo</em> significantly impacts the SM phenotype, primarily by disrupting energy homeostasis and reducing ATP production. As systemic LAL deficiency affects multiple organs, we hypothesized that the altered SM phenotype resulted from systemic rather than SM-specific loss of LAL activity.</div><div>To distinguish between systemic and cell-intrinsic effects, we used primary myoblasts isolated from Lal-deficient (-/-) mice as well as C2C12 cells treated with the pharmacological inhibitor of LAL, Lalistat-2. We found a significant accumulation of cholesteryl esters in both models studied, highlighting the central role of LAL in lipid catabolism in the SM. However, lipid accumulation was absent under lipoprotein-deficient culture conditions. Neither genetic loss nor pharmacological inhibition of LAL affected myofiber formation or mitochondrial function <em>in vitro</em>, in contrast to what we observed in SM isolated from Lal-/- mice. Tracing [<sup>13</sup>C<sub>6</sub>]-labeled glucose in both cell culture models revealed only minor changes in tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolites. These results suggest that although LAL plays an essential role in lipid metabolism, its impact on the processes involved in muscle differentiation and cellular energy production is minor. We conclude that the cell-intrinsic effects of Lal-/- SM are unlikely to drive the SM phenotype observed <em>in vivo</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11745973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143013145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100162
Richard Liangchen Wang
{"title":"Life is chemistry plus information","authors":"Richard Liangchen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100162","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100162","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In contemporary biology, the predominant paradigm is that life is chemistry. This means that all biological processes could be reduced to physicochemical processes. Some scientists have argued that life is chemistry plus information, but this ontological claim has not yet been proven. This paper first defines biological information through the decoding process, in which molecular machines such as membrane receptors and ribosomes connect signs to objects. Experiments have shown that molecular machines provide specific mechanisms to unidirectionally connect extracellular signals to intracellular second messengers in signal transduction, and unidirectionally link mRNAs to proteins in genetic information. However, I point out that the unidirectionality or irreversibility of biological information violates the (microscopic) time-reversal symmetry in physical laws and the principle of microscopic reversibility in chemistry. Genetic information also breaks the translational symmetry in physical laws, since the role of nucleotide triplets in translation depends on their position in mRNA. Therefore, biological information is non-physicochemical and differs ontologically from chemistry. This means that the paradigm in biology should be that life is chemistry plus information, rather than that life is merely chemistry. The paradigm of “life is chemistry plus information” succinctly explains that biological information provides an arrow of time in living organisms and why living and nonliving things are so different.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143898413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-03-15DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100153
Mayuka Ohkawa , Kenichi Kamata , Sarkar M.A. Kawsar , Marco Gerdol , Yuki Fujii , Yasuhiro Ozeki
{"title":"Characterization of HOL-30: a novel tandem-repeat galectin from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai","authors":"Mayuka Ohkawa , Kenichi Kamata , Sarkar M.A. Kawsar , Marco Gerdol , Yuki Fujii , Yasuhiro Ozeki","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We here report the novel primary structure of a new member in the galectin family, the β-galactoside-binding lectin HOL-30, from the marine sponge <em>Halichondria okadai</em>, whose full-length sequence was determined thanks to the combination between Edman degradation and transcriptome analysis. The HOL-30 polypeptide is a tandem-repeat dimeric galectin, consisting of 281 amino acids, which includes two carbohydrate recognition domains (CRDs). Unlike most other galectins described in Porifera, HOL-30 did not have a signal peptide sequence for secretion. In solution, HOL-30 exhibited a molecular weight of 60 kDa, indicating a dimeric organization consisting of two 30 kDa tandem-repeat subunits stabilized by non-covalent interactions. Although the two CRDs had a similar predicted 3D structure, they displayed low pairwise sequence identity, approximately 20 %. HOL-30 exhibited glycan-binding affinities for type-1 (Galβ1–3GlcNAc) and type-2 (Galβ1–4GlcNAc) LacNAc. Furthermore, it also recognized blood type B-oligosaccharides on type-1 and type-2 LacNAc (Galα1–3Gal[Fucα1–2]β1–3/4GlcNAc), and blood type H-oligosaccharide on type-3 (Gal[Fucα1–2]β1–3GalNAcα). The glycan-binding properties of HOL-30 were compared with those of the hRTL galectin, previously identified in <em>Chondrilla australiensis</em>, consisting of tetrameric 15 kDa prototype subunits. The two sponge galectins displayed similar, but not identical, carbohydrate-binding properties, as evidenced by the fact that despite effectively binding to vertebrate cultured cells, HOL-30 had minimal impact on cell growth. Antiserum analysis revealed a mosaic distribution of HOL-30 in the parenchymal cells of sponge tissues within dense cell clusters surrounding the spicules.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100153"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phosphorylation of the fission protein Drp1 contributes to the impact of the curcuminoid 1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one on mitochondrial and cellular processes","authors":"Navyamol Chakkalaparambil Dileep , Chi-Wei Chiu , Ching-Tse Wu , Chuang-Rung Chang , Chih-Yu Lo","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100164","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100164","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Curcumin and its curcuminoid derivatives extracted from turmeric have been investigated for their potential therapeutic benefits in cancer treatment. Curcuminoids 1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one and bisdemethoxycurcumin can be obtained from <em>Alpinia galangal</em>. Despite their similar chemical structures, the effects of these curcuminoids on cellular functions and their therapeutic potential require further characterization. This study examined the impact of 1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one and bisdemethoxycurcumin on human cancer cell lines and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that curcuminoids induce a shift in mitochondria dynamics toward fission. Exposure to curcuminoids resulted in attenuated mitochondrial activity, decreased mitochondrial mass, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and decreased membrane potential, accompanied by alterations in Drp1 phosphorylation. Notably, 1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one had more pronounced effects than curcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcuminoids derived from <em>Alpinia galangal</em> influence mitochondrial function and cell survival through Drp1 phosphorylation, indicating their potential for cancer therapy via the modulation of mitochondrial function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144280324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evolution and function of galectins in Xenopus laevis: Comparison with mammals and new perspectives","authors":"Takashi Ogawa , Yasuhiro Nonaka , Hiroki Shoji , Takanori Nakamura","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Galectins are metal-independent sugar-binding proteins that recognize galactose (the β-galactoside structure) and regulate the cross-linking of sugar chains between cells and the extracellular matrix. Their specificity for galactose is attributed to their highly conserved carbohydrate recognition domain. Galectins participate in biological processes across species, including development, differentiation, morphogenesis, tumor progression, metastasis, immunity, and apoptosis. However, the relationship between the binding of galectin to sugar chains (glycans) and their biological functions remains unclear. Thus, a comprehensive functional analysis of galectins is required to better characterize their evolutionarily conserved and unique functions. We have previously identified and characterized 12 <em>Xenopus laevis</em> galectins (xgalectins), the only non-mammalian vertebrate species in which galectins have been comprehensively characterized to date. In this review, we present the latest findings on the types and functions of xgalectins and discuss prospects for elucidating their diverse functions from an evolutionary perspective through comparisons with mammalian galectins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100157"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BBA AdvancesPub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-03-14DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100156
Clara Dessenne , Christophe Mariller , Olivier Vidal , Isabelle Huvent , Yann Guerardel , Elisabeth Elass-Rochard , Yannick Rossez
{"title":"Glycan-mediated adhesion mechanisms in antibiotic-resistant bacteria","authors":"Clara Dessenne , Christophe Mariller , Olivier Vidal , Isabelle Huvent , Yann Guerardel , Elisabeth Elass-Rochard , Yannick Rossez","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100156","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100156","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bacterial adhesins play a central role in host-pathogen interactions, with many specifically targeting glycans to mediate bacterial colonization, influence infection dynamics, and evade host immune responses. In this review, we focus on bacterial pathogens identified by the World Health Organization as critical threats to public health and in urgent need of new treatments. We summarize glycoconjugate targets identified in the literature across 19 bacterial genera and species. This comprehensive review provides a foundation for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to effectively combat these pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100156"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Claudin-11, a hypomyelinating leukodystrophy 22 (HLD22)-responsible protein, uniquely interacts with shroom-2 to change cell phenotypes","authors":"Sakurako Kobayashi , Takanori Yokoi , Takeru Omata , Hideji Yako , Yuki Miyamoto , Junji Yamauchi","doi":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbadva.2025.100159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oligodendroglial cells are a type of glial cell in the central nervous system (CNS) that wrap neuronal axons with differentiated plasma membranes known as myelin sheaths. While the physiological functions of oligodendrocytes, such as generating saltatory conduction and protecting neuronal axons, are well understood, the physiological and/or pathophysiological molecular mechanisms governing their differentiation before myelination remain unclear. In this study, we describe for the first time that claudin-11, a protein associated with hypomyelinating leukodystrophy 22 (HLD22), interacts with shroom-2, a presumable adaptor protein containing the PSD95, DLG1, and ZO-1 (PDZ) domain. Knockdown of claudin-11 using specific siRNA resulted in a decrease in morphological changes and marker proteins in the FBD-102b oligodendroglial model undergoing differentiation. Transfection of the C-terminal PDZ ligand sequence of claudin-11, which was found to interact with the PDZ domain of shroom-2, also reduced these phenotypic changes. The HLD22-associated mutated sequence in claudin-11 failed to interact with the PDZ domain of shroom-2. Furthermore, knockdown of shroom-2 or transfection of the PDZ domain of shroom-2, which is involved in the interaction with claudin-11, resulted in decreased morphological changes and marker protein expression. These changes were linked to the phosphorylation states of Akt kinase, a key signaling molecule in oligodendroglial cell differentiation and myelination. These results suggest that the interaction between claudin-11 and shroom-2 plays a key role in shaping cell morphology, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying oligodendroglial differentiation before myelination, as well as potential pathological mechanisms associated with HLD22 at the molecular and cellular levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34672,"journal":{"name":"BBA Advances","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100159"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}